Multi-million dollar restoration projects proposed for the Saginaw Bay watershed; paid with settlement money from corporate polluters

By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/restoration-projects-proposed-saginaw-bay-watershed-settlement-money-corporate-polluters/

Michigan Radio

Great Lakes Moment: The event that saved Humbug Marsh

Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.

On that September day in 1998, more than 1,000 rain-soaked and determined people stood up for what they felt was right.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/great-lakes-moment-the-event-that-saved-humbug-marsh/

John Hartig

Science Says What? How 5th-graders counting plants can lead to positive change

Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.

As spring comes to Saginaw Bay, a group of elementary school students are preparing to play an important role in a long-term scientific study.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/science-says-what-how-5th-graders-counting-plants-can-lead-to-positive-change/

Sharon Oosthoek

Nibi Chronicles: “The trees of our homeland”

Editor’s Note: “Nibi Chronicles,” a monthly Great Lakes Now feature, is written by Staci Lola Drouillard. A direct descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe, she lives and works in Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Her two books “Walking the Old Road: A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe” and “Seven Aunts” were published 2019 and 2022, and she is at work on a children’s story.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/nibi-chronicles-trees-of-our-homeland/

Staci Lola Drouillard

I Speak for the Fish: And the survey says…

My survey was admittedly small.

I polled one 10-year-old and 30 adults ranging in age from their early 20s to mid-50s. I had a fairly even representation of genders and races. About half were on a college campus, the other half I approached on a public boardwalk.

I limited my poll to one person per social cluster to prevent parroting of the same responses.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/i-speak-for-the-fish-and-the-survey-says/

Kathy Johnson

Extinctions, shrinking habitat spur ‘rewilding’ in cities

By John Flesher, AP Environmental Writer

DETROIT (AP) — In a bustling metro area of 4.3 million people, Yale University wildlife biologist Nyeema Harris ventures into isolated thickets to study Detroit’s most elusive residents — coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks among them.

Harris and colleagues have placed trail cameras in woodsy sections of 25 city parks for the past five years.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/ap-extinctions-shrinking-habitat-spur-rewilding-in-cities/

The Associated Press

Nonprofit buys 31,000 forested acres by Copper Harbor to keep land public

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/nonprofit-buys-31000-forested-acres-by-copper-harbor/

Bridge Michigan

The Catch: Why lightning bug population is dimming

Broadcasting in our monthly PBS television program, The Catch is a Great Lakes Now series that brings you more news about the lakes you love. Go beyond the headlines with reporters from around the region who cover the lakes and drinking water issues. Find all the work HERE.

This month, The Catch features why lightning bugs are in trouble.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/the-catch-lightning-bug-population-dimming/

GLN Editor

Under current climate trends, Michigan’s Up North forests could be doomed

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/08/michigans-up-north-forests-could-be-doomed/

Bridge Michigan

Grand Traverse group wins praise for preserving key land from development

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/grand-traverse-group-wins-praise-for/

Bridge Michigan

Water test: a long history and hopeful future of human impact on Great Lakes ecology

This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.

By Kurt Williams, Great Lakes Echo

Editor’s note: This is the last in a series of stories about profound ecological changes that test our ability to manage the Great Lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/history-future-human-impact-great-lakes-ecology/

Great Lakes Echo

JEWEL OF THE GREAT LAKES: Group battles invasive species

By Steve Schulwitz, The Alpena News

This article is part of a collaboration between The Alpena News and Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television to bring audiences stories about the Great Lakes, especially Lake Huron and its watershed.

ALPENA – Aquatic invasive species continue to spread and threaten the ecosystem in the waterways near Alpena, local environmental professionals say.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/group-battles-invasive-species/

The Alpena News

Great Lakes Moment: Rewilding Metropolitan Detroit

Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.

The practice of rewilding is frequently carried out in wilderness areas, but cities like Detroit are beginning to reintroduce native species of plants and animals to enhance biodiversity and reap all the benefits of making nature part of everyday urban life.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/great-lakes-moment-rewilding-metropolitan-detroit/

John Hartig

Rising water makes Lake Michigan wetlands vulnerable to invaders

This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.

By Caroline Miller, Great Lakes Echo

High water and ice scouring has shifted native wetlands inland and opened a door to invasive species along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan coast.

A new study documents the first sighting of the invasive species, European frogbit, in Wisconsin and says that it could threaten native plants, fish and invertebrates.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/rising-water-lake-michigan-wetlands-invaders/

Great Lakes Echo

The Catch: E. Coli and faulty septic systems

This month of The Catch features stories from our partners in the Great Lakes News Collaborative. The collaborative’s investigation of the cost of water in the Great Lakes region was the focus of the latest episode.

Michigan Radio‘s Lester Graham discusses a story he’s been following in northern Michigan on Elk Lake, where plant life and E.Coli are showing up in previously crystal-clear water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/the-catch-septic-systems/

GLN Editor

Biden forest plan stirs dispute over what counts as “old”

By Matthew Brown and Matthew Daly, Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s order to protect the nation’s oldest forests against climate change, wildfires and other problems devastating vast woodlands is raising a simple yet vexing question: When does a forest grow old?

Millions of acres are potentially on the line — federal land that could eventually get new protections or remain open to logging as the administration decides which trees to count under Biden’s order covering “old growth” and “mature” forests.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ap-biden-forest-plan-dispute/

The Associated Press

The Catch: Climate Change and Your Allergies

Wheeze. Sniffle. Sneeze.

If you already suffer from seasonal allergies, get ready for more severe symptoms as the Great Lakes region experiences climate change in the coming decades.

Atmospheric scientist Allison Steiner of the University of Michigan and some colleagues recently published a new study about the impacts of climate change on pollen season in the Midwest and beyond.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/the-catch-climate-change-allergies/

GLN Editor

The report on Ontario’s natural resources the government didn’t want you to read

By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal

This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.

From warming water to shifting growing seasons, Ontario is already seeing the effects of climate change. But for the most part, Doug Ford and his government say, the province’s natural resources are doing just fine.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/report-ontario-natural-resources/

The Narwhal

Michigan’s lack of septic system regulations is causing problems for some of its most pristine lakes

By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio

This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/michigans-septic-system-problems-lakes/

Michigan Radio

Mapping the Great Lakes: Where to find your sugar maples

The Great Lakes region may be best known for its freshwater resources, but another resource it has in abundance is its maple syrup. Canada is the world’s leading producer of maple syrup, generating 75% of the global supply. Within Canada, the province of Quebec is the top producer (96.4%) of maple syrup products followed by Ontario.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/mapping-the-great-lakes-sugar-maples/

Alex Hill

Lessons to learn from a very big mushroom

“Listen to your elders” is something we often hear, and what could be more of an elder than a 2,500-year-old fungus that’s alive and well in the Great Lakes region.

In 1992, scientist and forest pathologist Johann Bruhn discovered a very large mycelium – the root-like structure forming a fungal colony – in Crystal Falls, Michigan.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/life-lessons-big-mushroom/

Natasha Blakely

The Great Lakes sugaring season is changing

An area like the Great Lakes that has rain and higher temperatures in the summer, followed by a cold, snowy winter, is best suited for maple production.

But the Great Lakes maple season is evolving as climate change increasingly impacts maple syrup production with shorter harvest seasons, less sugar production and unreliable sap flow.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/great-lakes-sugaring-season/

Capri S. Cafaro

Researchers find wetland plant can filter PFAS chemicals

By Enrique Saenz, Indiana Environmental Reporter

Researchers have found that a common wetland plant native to Australia can remove toxic “forever chemicals” from the surrounding environment.

In a 190-day greenhouse experiment, a team of Chinese and Australian researchers found that Juncus sarophorus, a wetland plant also known as the broom rush, could tolerate and accumulate PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS, three of the most commonly studied PFAS chemicals.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/researchers-wetland-plant-pfas-chemicals/

Indiana Environmental Reporter

The Catch: Interlochen Public Radio podcast finds ‘[Un]Natural Selection’ in nature

Broadcasting in our monthly PBS television program, The Catch is a Great Lakes Now series that brings you more news about the lakes you love. Go beyond the headlines with reporters from around the region who cover the lakes and drinking water issues. Find all the work HERE.

Turns out what used to be natural selection is becoming a bit unnatural.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/the-catch-unnatural-selection/

GLN Editor

5 Reasons to Love (and Protect) Freshwater Mussels

By Tara Lohan, The Revelator

This story originally appeared in The Revelator and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.

In September the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing 23 species from the federal list of endangered species — not because they’d rebounded, sadly, but because they are believed to be extinct.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/reasons-to-love-freshwater-mussels/

The Revelator

Lost and found: native aquatic plant in Ohio

This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.

By Shelby Frink, Great Lakes Echo

A scientist may have found a native aquatic plant in Ohio that was once thought to be wiped out in the state.

The watermilfoil species has not been seen in Ohio in at least 20 years, said Mark Warman, the scientist who found the plant on private property last September after his friend posted photos on the social network iNaturalist.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/native-aquatic-plant-ohio/

Great Lakes Echo

Lost and found: native aquatic plant in Ohio

This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.

By Shelby Frink, Great Lakes Echo

A scientist may have found a native aquatic plant in Ohio that was once thought to be wiped out in the state.

The watermilfoil species has not been seen in Ohio in at least 20 years, said Mark Warman, the scientist who found the plant on private property last September after his friend posted photos on the social network iNaturalist.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/native-aquatic-plant-ohio/

Great Lakes Echo

I Speak for the Fish: Playing peek-a-boo with the ducks

I’ve been outsmarted by more than one species.

A red fox in a Florida nature preserve comes to mind. I observed the fox entering a den and spent two hours patiently waiting for it to emerge so I could take its picture – only to discover the clever fellow had exited out the back shortly after I parked myself out front.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/playing-peek-a-boo-with-ducks/

Kathy Johnson

Fire on Michigan’s remote Isle Royale 15 percent contained

ISLE ROYAL, Mich. (AP) — A wildfire on Michigan’s remote Isle Royale has been about 15% percent contained and crews have saved some historic cabins from encroaching flames, an official said Wednesday.

The fire began Aug. 10, apparently sparked by a lightning strike on the drought-stricken wilderness island, said Liz Valencia, a spokeswoman for Isle Royale National Park.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/08/ap-fire-michigan-isle-royale-15-percent-contained/

The Associated Press

Trails, camps closed on Isle Royale after wildfire expands

ISLE ROYAL, Mich. (AP) — A wildfire that’s burned about 200 acres on Michigan’s remote Isle Royale has prompted the National Park Service to close some trails and campground areas on the wilderness island.

The park service said Sunday on the Isle Royale National Park’s Facebook page that the closures were necessary “to maintain public health and safety” after the fire on the Lake Superior island’s east end expanded over the weekend amid lingering drought conditions.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/08/ap-trails-camps-closed-isle-royale-wildfire/

The Associated Press

Minnesota wildfires disappoint travelers and outfitters

ELY, Minn. (AP) — Ely is typically teeming this time of year with visitors heading out on or returning from excursions into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. But about the only cars in the northeastern Minnesota town with canoes strapped to their tops this week are leaving.

Several fires inside and just outside the country’s most visited wilderness area led officials to close it last weekend, dealing a blow to those who spent months planning their trips there and to the outfitters and other businesses that depend on them.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/08/ap-minnesota-wildfires-disappoint-travelers-outfitters/

The Associated Press

Invasive weed starry stonewort confirmed in Leech Lake, Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An invasive weed that can choke out native plants and fish habitat has been found in one of Minnesota’s largest and most popular walleye lakes, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Monday.

The DNR has confirmed the discovery of starry stonewort in Leech Lake, located in northwestern Minnesota.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-invasive-weed-starry-stonewort-leech-lake/

The Associated Press

Public Resource: Around the Great Lakes, everyday people help make science possible

Collecting data for scientific research across large geographic areas can be challenging, but researchers have found an easy solution – the public.

The Huron River watershed covers 900 square miles, and the Huron River Watershed Council has been collecting data from the watershed for years. Yet collection from such an expansive area would not have been possible without the help of an army of dedicated citizen, or community, scientists.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/great-lakes-everyday-people-science-public/

Noah Bock

Citizen Science Opportunities: How can you get involved in scientific research?

For some, getting to contribute to scientific research might sound like a far-fetched possibility.

Jason Frenzel, stewardship coordinator at the Huron River Watershed Council, is one of the countless people working to change that assumption.

The HRWC is one of many organizations in the Great Lakes region that offer people, most with little prior scientific training, the opportunity to participate in science.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/citizen-science-opportunities/

Noah Bock

Dune Dispute: Wisconsin Lake Michigan shoreline threatened by adjacent golf course development

A Wisconsin State Park bordering the shoreline of Lake Michigan is teeming with dunes, preserved wetlands and protected plant species. It’s a great view – making it an ideal neighbor for a new golf resort that one of the state’s manufacturing giants has been fighting for years to build.

Kohler-Andre State Park is located in Sheboygan County and comprised of two state parks, Terry Andrae State Park and John Michael Kohler State Park.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/wisconsin-lake-michigan-dune-shoreline-golf-course-development/

John McCracken

Lawsuit: Michigan wolf advisory group stacked with hunting advocates

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network.

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/04/lawsuit-michigan-wolf-advisory-group-stacked-with-hunting-advocates/

Bridge Michigan

Invasive aquatic plant found in 4 Michigan inland lakes

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — An invasive aquatic plant — first detected in southeastern Michigan in 1996 — has been found in four inland lakes in Washtenaw and Jackson counties.

The presence of European frogbit has been confirmed within the Waterloo Recreation Area, according to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/09/ap-frogbit-invasive-aquatic-plant-michigan-inland-lakes/

The Associated Press

One key solution to the world’s climate woes? Canada’s natural landscapes

By Jimmy Thomson, The Narwhal

This story originally appeared in The Narwhal and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.

This is the first part of Carbon Cache, an ongoing series about nature-based climate solutions.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/08/climate-change-carbon-canada-natural-landscapes/

The Narwhal

Plants cropping up in lost Michigan lakes where dams failed

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Nature is returning to craters left from lakes drained by two dams that failed in May during torrential rain in mid-Michigan.

But not always in a good way.

“Shortly after the water receded, you could look out over the exposed bottom lands of the lake and it was like looking at the Sahara Desert,” said Dave Rothman, a board member with the Four Lakes Task Force, which is looking to obtain the four dams as well as the two lakes that were not drained.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/08/ap-plants-midland-michigan-lakes-dams-failure/

The Associated Press

Permit Pause: Michigan regulatory agency wants more info on Line 5

The state agency that has to green light Enbridge Energy’s controversial pipeline in a tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac hit the pause button on the process last week when it told the company it needs additional information.

The new pipeline would replace the 67-year-old existing Line 5 that runs through the bottom of the straits.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/05/permit-michigan-egle-enbridge-line-5/

Gary Wilson

Controlling Invasives: States urge residents to help stop spread of invasive species

Spring in the Great Lakes region brings blooming tulips, pollinating bees, biting sunfish and the threat of spreading invasive species.

As residents head outdoors to freshen backyard ponds and launch fishing boats, state and provincial resource managers are urging everyone to keep a few simple guidelines in mind to keep the Great Lakes safe.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/states-stop-spread-aquatic-invasive-species/

Kathy Johnson

COVID-19 Changes: Great Lakes parks and tourist spots are closing, remaining open and waiting for summer

The agencies and businesses running the services, centers and parks are adapting daily, hourly.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/great-lakes-parks-centers-tourism-coronavirus-covid-19/

James Proffitt